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Bern, Switzerland / New York, NY, USA (GenevaLunch) – Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz capped off a busy political week for Switzerland with an address to the United Nations General Assembly where he argued that because “the G-20 lacks legitimacy” exchanges between the UN and the G20 group of nations “must be strengthened. The G-20 has taken over a role in discussing important global issues. This development must not take place at the expense of other nations or global institutions such as the UN.” Libya and Switzerland’s removal from the OECD gray list also made headlines in Switzerland and elsewhere.

G20 needs to create level playing field: Merz

Merz told world leaders Thursday 24 September at the assembly that “basic considerations of due process are absent in the sanctions procedures. The members of the G-20 themselves are not subject to the same scrutiny. Switzerland advocates a level playing field and a much better consultation among non-members of the G-20.”

Switzerland taken off OECD gray list

His comments were made while the OECD was saying it would announce today, Friday, that Switzerland has “moved to the category of jurisdictions having substantially implemented the [exchange of information in tax matters OECD] standard”, removing Switzerland from the group’s unofficially named gray list. Switzerland late Wednesday announced it had signed a new agreement with the US and Friday morning with Qatar, bring to 12 the number of new agreements, which the OECD had demanded before it would remove Switzerland from the gray list. The other countries that have signed new agreements and thus been removed from the list and will no longer be labeled tax havens: Aruba, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Bahrain, Cayman Islands, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands Antilles and San Marino.

Libya flak still flying

Also in New York, Merz met with Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffi and obtained a promise that the leader would become personally involved in helping return home two Swiss men detained in Libya. But Friday morning the Tages-Anzeiger carried a story saying the Swiss parliament is pressing charges against an unknown party for leaking to the media details of a parliamentary committee meeting 8 September, where comments were made by one of the men about the impact on him of his detainment. And Parliament was told that the cabinet has been aware that the two men were moved to a “safe place” a week ago, after they were taken from the Swiss Embassy under the pretext of a medical check and not returned to the embassy. The government chose not to make the information public, but it confirmed this after the Swiss German press said there were rumours to this effect.